Health Service Administrators Call For Mass Testing After Lockdown

Administrators of the various health service facilities across the country have called for mass testing of the residents in areas under partial lockdown to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement issued to the media by Public Relations Officer of the Association of Health Service Administrators, Ghana (AHSAG), Abulais Yaro Haruna, the Administrators also urged the government to procure more test kits in addition to the initial 50,000 test kits that are already being procured and the consignment that the country has received from Jack Ma.

“Government should endeavor to cut the cost involved in quarantining foreign travelers into the country by selecting low to moderate hotel accommodation for such persons.

“We all do not know how long this pandemic will last and therefore going for high-end hotels could have dire financial implications for the country in the long run. In these dangerously difficult times, status (perceived or real) is of no essence, resources are, and therefore anyone caught up in this must understand that the state needs to conserve as much as possible to be able to soldier on. As managers in the health system, we are concerned about the cost in this particular intervention by government,” the Association said in a statement issued Friday.

The Association of Health Service Administrators also noted that despite the closure of Ghana’s borders to its neighbouring countries, there still exist unapproved routes for people to sneak in and out of the country.

“The Association calls on government and the security agencies to intensify surveillance at those areas in order to prevent illegal entries and exits by people in these difficult times.

“We also use this opportunity to call on all residents along the country’s borders to remain vigilant and report such illegal entries to the security agencies. We should leave no stone unturned in our efforts to contain and eliminate this pandemic,” the statement signed by the AHSAG President Fred Effah-Yeboah, said.

In the release issued earlier on Friday, the Association urged President Nana Akufo-Addo to declare a partial lockdown and the President announced lockdown in parts of Accra, Kumasi and Kasoa during his late evening national address on government’s measures to control the spread of the virus.

According to the President, the movement of persons living in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi, where significant numbers of infections have been recorded, will be restricted from Monday, March 30, 2020.

Delivering his fourth national televised address on the state’s anti-coronavirus strategy on Friday evening, President Nana Akufo-Addo said beginning from 1:00 a.m. on Monday the lockdown will restrict the movement people for a period of two weeks subject to review.

The lockdown, he explained is to enable contact tracing of persons who have come into contact with persons who have tested positive for the deadly virus.

Since the start of the week, there have been numerous calls on Nana Akufo-Addo to declare a lockdown like many countries have done to mitigate the growing spread of the deadly disease.